Published: March 2018

Stringent safety requirements needed before driverless cars hit the road

Coalition: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety

In a March 5 letter to Senate leadership, coalition advocates conveyed strong objections to the lack of safety protections in proposed driverless car legislation and urged Senate leaders to make essential improvements to the AV START Act (S.1885). The groups warned that prioritizing the protection of private investments in unproven technologies instead of protecting public safety could have dangerous consequences, and there are numerous critical concerns regarding the rushed deployment of driverless cars. (Last week the earlier warning took on new urgency when an automated Uber vehicle killed a pedestrian in Arizona.)

National safety, public health, bicyclists, pedestrians, smart growth, consumer, and environmental groups joined together in urging the Senate to make critical changes to the AV START Act (S. 1885) before automated vehicles (or “driverless cars”) are allowed to hit America’s roads. Stakeholders from the autonomous vehicle industry are eager for Congress to pass policies governing development and testing of the technology before state or federal laws are passed that could jeopardize their investments.

The coalitions’ proposed improvements to the bill include establishing minimum performance standards for computers that operate autonomous vehicles, requiring consumers be educated about the limitations and capabilities of self-driving cars, and addressing the needs of people with disabilities.

 

Other Organizations

Emergency Nurses Association | American Public Health Association | Whirlwind Wheelchair International | National Center for Bicycling & Walking | Public Citizen | Safe Climate Campaign | Officers Association | Transportation Alternatives | Florida Consumer Action Network | Consumer Action | Virginia Citizens Consumer Council | Massachusetts Consumers Council | Vision Zero Network | Surface Transportation Policy Project | Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety | National Coalition of Safer Roads | The Mark Wandall Foundation | Public Citizen | Consumer Federation of America | Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety | Center for Auto Safety | Road Safe America | National Consumers League | Trauma Foundation | Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research | American Trauma Society | Truck Safety Coalition | Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation

More Information

For more information, please visit Safe Roads.

Download PDF

Stringent safety requirements needed before driverless cars hit the road   (GroupLetteS.1885FINAL.pdf)